Following the cyber incident at Albert Heijn, store restocking is back on track, but online delivery will remain suspended until at least Sunday. This raises questions for everyday shoppers. Can you shop in stores as usual again? What about your national bonus discounts? And are your accumulated loyalty stamps and personal data still safe? We’ve listed the answers below.
Can you go grocery shopping in stores again as usual?
The short answer is yes. After parent company Ahold Delhaize shut down its systems on Sunday as a precaution due to a cyber incident, the stores temporarily ran out of stock. Distribution centers are now once again fully supplying the stores with fresh and non-perishable products.
Checkout is also going smoothly: nationwide bonus discounts are automatically applied at the register, even if the digital shelf label is behind schedule. So you can shop in the store just like you used to.
But what about if you’d rather have your groceries delivered to your home?
What about online grocery delivery?
Online ordering and home delivery at Albert Heijn are completely suspended through Sunday, October 18. All scheduled orders have been canceled. Have you already paid for your groceries in advance? The amount will be automatically credited and refunded as soon as the digital systems are operational again. Anyone who still wants to have groceries delivered this weekend will temporarily have to rely on alternative supermarkets or flash delivery services.
But what does this IT outage mean in the long term for your accumulated loyalty stamps, savings promotions, and privacy?
Are your loyalty stamps, promotional offers, and personal data safe?
Your accumulated purchase stamps and AH Premium savings balances will be fully preserved. However, due to the outage, digital stamps may not appear immediately in the app. Therefore, be sure to keep your physical receipts; staff at the service counter can manually credit any missed purchase stamps or promotions (such as the Postcode Lottery gift card) later.
In terms of privacy, Ahold Delhaize reports that there are no indications that customer or employee data has been compromised. However, extra vigilance is advised. Scammers like to take advantage of incidents like this. If you receive an email or message about alleged “compensation” or a “system update” from Albert Heijn, don’t click on anything and never share your login credentials.
